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About St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2015)
Email: reviewnewspaper@gmail.com * Mail: PO Box 83068, Port. OR 97283 * Web: www.stjohnsreview.com * Phone: 503-283-5086 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Taking a Tip From Joan of Arc Dear Editor, I think the way some people are ready to demolish Ivy Island in service to the Farid Bolouri Development is the wrong di- rection. I think we have come to take Ivy Island for granted. After all, it is “just” a traffic island that we drive by all the time with little notice. What if we take a tip from Lau- relhurst? Just by saying the word “Laurelhurst,” for most people, the first, and sometimes the only thing that comes to mind, is the Joan of Arc statue on the 39th Street Traffic Circle. Without that, Laurelhurst would just be part of the blur of neighborhoods on the Eastside, and certainly no one would give any thought to the traffic circle. Laurelhurst made their ordinary traffic circle significant and delightful. The first time you see it, it’s totally unexpected and charming and it stays in your mind. It’s some- thing you can easily picture when you’re someplace else. Wherever you may be, the Traffic Circle places and anchors the Laurel- hurst Neighborhood. Could we do something sim- ilarly amazing with Ivy Island on behalf of St. Johns? If we could, it would be a boon for the St. Johns Business District. I’ve always wondered how extraor- dinary it would be if something as simple as artistically dramat- ic floodlights were part of the Ivy Island experience. Banners? Flags? Amazing art? But most of all, a statue of James John! Kin- da like the Ugly Duckling story, where from a humble beginning COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS RHS theater students volunteer to Trick or Treat for hunger Ivy Island transforms into a beau- tiful swan and becomes a truly valued part of our community. A memorable entrance that cele- brates the independent spirit of St Johns. For the many reasons that peo- ple want the Bolouri Project, I’ve yet to hear that aesthetically, driv- ing into a “lovely” four-story wall of unremarkable apartments is one of them. This is what we will have when driving west on Lom- bard when the Bolouri Project is finished. Or that anyone actually desires for its own sake, a right turn stoplight into St. Johns. In accepting the Bolouri Project into our community, we give up some of our small town appeal and end up looking like every other gen- trified neighborhood in Portland. Our St Johns charm becomes col- lateral damage. Acknowledging how nice the landscaped Ivy Is- land has become, Bolouri Project is like the Ugly Duckling story in reverse. There are other options and traf- fic strategies to solving the Blind Lombard Curve at the Charles- ton corner, other than razing Ivy Island. A lot is going to change these next few years as Develop- ers discover our community, and seemingly, we have little control over what happens. But I think we should try to keep a bit of our historical and traditional St. Johns for St. Johns. John Teply Find more info at “Save Ivy Is- land” on FaceBook Friends of Multnomah County Library holds fall used book sale Oregon’s largest used book sale, organized by the Friends of the Multnomah County Library, takes place the weekend of October 23- 26 at the DoubleTree Hotel Exhib- it Hall at Lloyd Center, 1000 NE Multnomah St., Portland, Oregon 97232. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Multnomah County Li- brary. It will open with a Members-On- ly Night on Friday, October 23, from 6 to 9 pm. Annual member- ships can be purchased at any time, including at the door Friday night, for as low as $10 for individuals or $15 for families. Admission is free to the public on Saturday 9 am to 9 pm, Sunday 11 am to 5 pm, and Monday 9 am to 3 pm. New this year is a Literary Trivia event, with a cash bar, on Satur- day, October 24 from 6 to 9 pm. Also, for the first time is a Hal- loween Costume Contest, for all ages, Sunday, October 25 at 1 pm. More details can be found on the Friends of the Library website: friends-library.org The Friends’ Fall Used Book Sale boasts of 100,000 items at great prices. Hardcover and qual- ity trade paperbacks start at $2, mass-market paperbacks and chil- dren’s books at 50 cents, CDs at $2, and DVDs at $3. Also avail- able are audio books, LPs, video games, pamphlets, sheet music, and maps – all sorted and in good condition. No electronic devices to check prices will be allowed during The St. Johns Review * #21 OCT. 16, 2015 * Page 3 Friday’s Members-Only Night. Phones and scanners will be al- lowed Saturday through Monday for checking individual items. Items may not be set aside to be scanned later. Monday will be a 50% off Dis- count Day on all remaining items. The ever-popular Collector’s Cor- ner is back. These special and rare books and ephemera are culled from the Friends’ online store and will be available for purchase Fri- day and Saturday. The DoubleTree at Lloyd Cen- ter is easily accessible by TriMet and MAX. Metered street park- ing is available. The DoubleTree Hotel parking offers a special day rate with a voucher available at the sale. For more information or to be- come a Friends of the Library member, see www.friends-library. org or contact the Friends at 503- 224-9176. The International Thespian Society (ITS), a division of the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA), is pleased to announce the participation of Roosevelt High School, Thespian Troupe #7289, in the Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat program. Trick or Treat So Kids Can Eat is a national community service program for ITS-member schools to collect canned and dry goods for local charities and food banks. Theatre students from Roosevelt High School (RHS) will be dressed in costumes to collect food dona- tions in the RHS neighborhood during the local Trick or Treat activities on Friday, October 30 from 12:00 P.M. until 2:00 P.M. If you are not in the immediate RHS neighborhood, but wish to help, feel free to drop off donations in Ms. Lane’s classroom between 12:00-2:00 P.M. the same day. These donations will go to benefit Oregon Food Bank. Thousands of pounds of food will be collected in one night across the state, giving organizations the ability to help thousands of local people. About the International Thespian Society Founded in 1929, The Interna- tional Thespian Society (ITS), is an honorary organization for high school and middle school the- atre students located at more than 4,300 affiliated secondary schools across America, Canada, and abroad. The mission of ITS is to honor student achievement in the theatre arts. High school inductees are known as “Thespians” and ju- nior high/middle school inductees are known as “Junior Thespians.” St. Johns Main Street hosts monthly Plaza clean ups For those concerned about keep- ing the neighborhood clean and tidy, the St. Johns Main Street organization says, “Show your neighborhood pride by giving our plaza some love!!” Every third Sunday of the month at 1:00 p.m., there will be a neigh- borhood plaza clean up.” Main Street will provide the supplies and there is no need to sign up, just drop by and lend a hand! For more information, visit: st- johnsmainstreet.org or email Syd- ney Leonard at: sydney@stjohns- mainstreet.org. WANT TO BE PART OF THE ST JOHNS REVIEW FAMILY? You can be by: • WRITING ARTICLES • SENDING IN INFORMATION • ADVERTISING OR, • SUBSCRIBING Call or email: reviewnewspaper@gmail.com 503-283-5086 ITS is a division of the Education- al Theatre Association (EdTA). About the Educational Theatre As- sociation The Educational Theatre Associa- tion (EdTA) is a national nonprofit organization with approximately 90,000 student and professional members. EdTA’s mission is shap- ing lives through theatre education by: honoring student achievement in theatre and enriching their the- atre education experience; sup- porting teachers by providing professional development, net- working opportunities, resources, and recognition; and influencing public opinion that theatre edu- cation is essential and builds life skills. EdTA operates the Inter- national Thespian Society (ITS), an honorary organization that has inducted more than two million theatre students since its found- ing in 1929. EdTA also publishes Dramatics, a monthly magazine for high school theatre students, and Teaching Theatre, a quarterly journal for theatre education pro- fessionals. North Star Village offers Age is Place talk If interested in remaining in your home as you age, now is the time to start planning. North Star Village is hosting Vil- lage at Home talks introducing the local Village Movement and how Villages support folks to remain in the homes they love and the famil- iar neighborhoods they cherish. It’s called “aging in place” and is a na- tional movement responding to the need for services so folks can age comfortably and safely at home. Invite your neighbors, friends, co-workers and reserve your seat for one of these living room talks on Saturday, October 24 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. Find out what North Star Village will offer and how you can join others to shape the services and programs of our own virtual village. Space is limited and those in- terest are encouraged to call 503.978.0540 or go to www.North- StarVillagePDX.org to reserve your place and receive the location.